The Doctor

THE FIRST DOCTOR

The First Doctor

The First Doctor was an cryptic, guarded figure who was, at first, very slow to put any trust in newcomers who learnt of him. This Doctor was often irascible. He made no effort to hide his anger. He was very protective of the young women he took with him as his companions; they reminded him of his granddaughter, Susan. This Doctor was a brilliant, often short-tempered scientist as well as a keen strategist. He often used his signet ring to help get himself through ordeals due to his physical age impeding him. He stole a TARDIS from Gallifrey and took his granddaughter with him, joyriding throughout all of time and space, without a clue as to how to drive the thing.

THE SECOND DOCTOR

The Second Doctor at the TARDIS controls

The Second Doctor, in contrast to his previous incarnation, was a very warm and wise man. He would be just as surprised and frightened of alien menaces as those who fought them alongside him. He was very clever in that he had a knack for manipulating others and deception. His predecessor would refer to this incarnation as a “clown” due to his bumbling and silly nature. He loved playing on his recorder and carried around a 500-year diary, attempting to keep a record of his travels, but ended up discarding it. He wore a giant fur coat that dwarfed his size, tying it closed with a piece of twine. As a “cosmic hobo,” he was constantly getting himself in and out of trouble around the universe.

THE THIRD DOCTOR

The third Doctor with Sarah Jane Smith

The Third Doctor was a far more spirited figure than his predecessors. He has been described by his first incarnation as a “dandy”. He had a knack for inventing various gadgets and was skilled in martial arts, particularly Venusian aikido, and owned a vintage car that he named Bessie. He had an initially antagonistic relationship with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart that eventually developed into a close friendship during a brief exile on Earth Their time together lasted through his future regenerations, despite the two not always agreeing with The Doctor’s actions. This Doctor also displayed great affection for his female companions, especialy Jo Grant. He was a gallant action hero who was very protective of his companions.

THE FOURTH DOCTOR

The Fourth Doctor

The Fourth Doctor was more unconventional than his previous incarnations. He was also the first to appear younger than his predecessors. Rarely seen without his long scarf, he always carried jelly beans in his pockets, using them as bluffs, gifts or distractions. He relied on his considerable charm, luck, and experience to get through tough situations. Although he retained his affection for Earth, he ended his frequent association with UNIT almost immediately upon his regeneration and only sporadically returned to visit the planet. He hated to work and preferred to be traveling, but enjoyed history. This Doctor usually travelled with only one companion at a time.

THE FIFTH DOCTOR

The Fifth Doctor landing the TARDIS

The Fifth Doctor was fond of cricket and wore a stick of celery on his lapel. After a difficult regeneration, this Doctor displayed energy, compassion and innocence not seen in his incarnations. His character was very human and vulnerable. Like them, he used improvisation as the best way out of a tricky situation. The Fifth Doctor was the first incarnation since the First Doctor to go “hands free” and forgo the usage of a sonic screwdriver after he had it destroyed. He would sometimes wear glasses, even though he didn’t need them; he only wore them to make himself look clever. He was the first Doctor to sacrifice himself for another, when he and Peri Brown were dying from Spectrox toxaemia; with only one dose of the antidote available, he gave her the cure rather than taking it himself.

THE SIXTH DOCTOR

The Sixth Doctor

The Sixth Doctor was a grandiose and eloquent incarnation. He sported a dashing multi-coloured wardrobe that was often commented upon, occasionally mistaken as a jester. This Doctor loved a good quote, often making one he deemed appropriate during an adventure. He also proved to have great acting skills on numerous occasions. His manic personality and acerbic wit could shade into moral passion, but his lack of concern for little things disgusted his companions. He was also capable of violent action, much more so than his past lives, even seeing logic in murder. Like the Fourth Doctor, he spent most of his travels with a single companion.

THE SEVENTH DOCTOR

The Seventh Doctor searching for Cybermen

The Seventh Doctor had a voice touched by a Scottish burr. A keen strategist and scientist and especially early in his life, lighthearted, this Doctor was a planner of the highest order. Embracing the complexities of time travel and his ability to manipulate and plan for the future, the Seventh fully embraced his role of Time Lord, even if it risked alienating his companions. However, he wished to help heal psychological scars which his companions suffered from. He spent most of his later travels with a single companion.

THE EIGHTH DOCTOR

The Eighth Doctor showed a romantic and sensitive side not displayed by previous Doctors. Less morally flexible than his immediate predecessor, the Eighth Doctor suffered from bouts of amnesia, first after his regeneration and again after the first destruction of Gallifrey, following the War with the Enemy. Unlike other Doctors, the Eighth spent his travels crossing between parallel universes and amidst time paradoxes, making his personal timeline hard to piece together. Also, unlike the other Doctors, the specific circumstances of the cause of his regeneration remain unknown, even though one of his future incarnations said that it happened during the Time War.

THE WAR DOCTOR

The “War Doctor”, also known as “the Renegade”, was a warrior incarnation of the renegade Time Lord who referred to himself as the Doctor throughout most of his different lives. However, the War Doctor stood apart as the sole exception; he was the incarnation who fought in the Last Great Time War. To endure the psychological climate of the massive conflict, he was deliberately cultivated to be a warrior, not a healer.

Originally young and robust, this incarnation disavowed the name of “the Doctor,” setting upon the warrior path for which he had been created although Rassilon and other Time Lords continued to refer to him by that name. After becoming old and tired of battle and faced with the end of reality, this incarnation considered activating the Moment, to end the Time War by committing genocide against both the Daleks and his own people. After viewing his own future, this incarnation helped to save Gallifrey from destruction, although he was not able to retain these memories. Because of this, his later incarnations disowned him, believing him to have destroyed Gallifrey. The Eleventh Doctor would retain the memories, and eventually remembered him as the man who saved Gallifrey. This incarnation eventually regenerated due to advanced old age, shortly after he had saved Gallifrey.

THE NINTH DOCTOR

The Doctor meets Rose Tyler

The Ninth Doctor was the sole Time Lord survivor of the Time War. He displayed much of the playfulness of his previous incarnations, but was emotionally and psychologically scarred by the war and his role in it, which sometimes resulted in a detachment that was interpreted by some as cruelty. When asked about his voice and accent, he responded, “Lots of planets have a North”. He cared deeply for Rose; he began to heal thanks to her. Similar to his first incarnation, this Doctor liked to tease others by pretending not to remember names. He also made dry jokes when facing danger or to diffuse tension.

THE TENTH DOCTOR

The Tenth Doctor after regenerating

The Tenth Doctor had a manic side with an affinity for human pop culture references. However, his outgoing personality largely stemed from emotional trauma leftover from the Time War. While he was very smart and playful, he had the potential to be ruthless, and sometimes acted like an egomaniac. He continued his previous incarnation’s love for his companion Rose Tyler, though he was never able to properly express his feelings for her. He experienced other romances, including such historical figures as Madame de Pompadour and Queen Elizabeth I. However, these romances all ended poorly. This was also the first time the Doctor explicitly feared and attempted to dodge regeneration, as he had grown attached to his characteristics and felt it was a form of death and loss of identity showing how torn apart he had become over the course of his life, becoming depressed and tired of continuously living and dying in an endless cycle. He was completely heartbroken when it came time for him to regenerate, on the verge of tears before finally accepting his fate and regenerating into his eleventh form.

THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR

The Eleventh Doctor

The Eleventh Doctor was fairly smug about his intelligence and presented a renewed sense of enthusiasm for adventure and the unknown. He had incredibly keen observation skills and an obsession with seeming trivia. His temper led him to turn wildly angry and ruthless when events demanded. He frequently called himself an old man, showing his age on more than one occasion. At one point he offered to sacrifice himself if it meant saving others on a universal scale. This Doctor showed tremendous concern and compassion for his companions than previous incarnations; he once left Amy Pond and Rory Williams at home to protect them, eventually resuming travels with them that ultimatly ended in heartbreak. After losing them, the Doctor became much darker and more depressed, exclaiming that he was “retired.” His attitude changed for the better once he met Clara Oswald, whom he invited to join him to travel in the TARDIS before she fell to her death, breaking both of the Doctor’s hearts once more. He later discovered that Clara was, impossibly, scattered through time and made it his mission to find her.